Project description:The RNA-binding protein FUS/TLS, mutation in which is causative of the fatal motor neuron disease ALS, is demonstrated to directly bind to the U1-snRNP and SMN complexes. ALS-causative mutations in FUS/TLS are shown to abnormally enhance their interaction with SMN and reduce interaction with U1-snRNP. Correspondingly, global RNA analysis reveals a mutant-dependent loss of splicing activity, with ALS-linked mutants failing to reverse changes caused by loss of wild-type FUS/TLS. Furthermore, a common FUS/TLS mutant-associated RNA splicing signature is identified in ALS patient fibroblasts. Taken together, our studies establish potentially converging disease mechanisms in ALS and spinal muscular atrophy, with ALS-causative mutants acquiring properties representing both gain (dysregulation of SMN) and loss (reduced RNA processing mediated by U1-snRNP) of function. RNA-mediated oligonucleotide Annealing, Selection, and Ligation with Next-Generation sequencing (RASL-seq) method was used for analyzing alternative splicing changes. Oligonucleotide probes are designed to anneal to the exon-exon junctions. The probe library was assembled to assess 5530 unique alternative splicing events, most of which were exon inclusion or skipping, with a minority for alternative 5’- or 3’- splice sites. The splicing changes were compared among groups of reducing FUS/TLS or SMN levels, or expressing various FUS mutations to determine the loss versus gain of FUS/TLS function on splicing regulation.
Project description:The RNA-binding protein FUS/TLS, mutation in which is causative of the fatal motor neuron disease ALS, is demonstrated to directly bind to the U1-snRNP and SMN complexes. ALS-causative mutations in FUS/TLS are shown to abnormally enhance their interaction with SMN and reduce interaction with U1-snRNP. Correspondingly, global RNA analysis reveals a mutant-dependent loss of splicing activity, with ALS-linked mutants failing to reverse changes caused by loss of wild-type FUS/TLS. Furthermore, a common FUS/TLS mutant-associated RNA splicing signature is identified in ALS patient fibroblasts. Taken together, our studies establish potentially converging disease mechanisms in ALS and spinal muscular atrophy, with ALS-causative mutants acquiring properties representing both gain (dysregulation of SMN) and loss (reduced RNA processing mediated by U1-snRNP) of function.
Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series: GSE40649: Divergent roles of ALS-linked proteins FUS/TLS and TDP-43 intersect in processing long pre-mRNAs (microarray) GSE40651: Divergent roles of ALS-linked proteins FUS/TLS and TDP-43 intersect in processing long pre-mRNAs (CLIP-Seq) GSE40652: Divergent roles of ALS-linked proteins FUS/TLS and TDP-43 intersect in processing long pre-mRNAs (RNA-Seq) Refer to individual Series
Project description:FUS/TLS and TDP-43 are RNA/DNA-binding proteins integrally involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontal temporal dementia. FUS/TLS is shown to bind RNAs from >5,500 genes in mouse and human brain, primarily through a GUGGU binding motif. A characteristic sawtooth-like binding pattern is identified, supporting co-transcriptional deposition of FUS/TLS. Depletion of FUS/TLS from the adult nervous system is shown to alter levels or splicing of >970 mRNAs, most of which are distinct from the RNAs whose maturation is dependent on TDP-43. Nonetheless, only 55 RNAs are reduced upon depletion of either TDP-43 or FUS/TLS from mouse brain and human neurons differentiated from pluripotent stem cells, including mRNAs transcribed from genes with exceptionally long introns and that encode proteins essential for neuronal integrity. A subset of these is significantly lowered in FUS/TLSR521G and TDP-43G298S mutant fibroblasts and in TDP-43 aggregate-containing motor neurons in sporadic ALS, evidence pointing to a common loss-of-function pathway as one component underlying motor neuron death from misregulation of TDP-43 or FUS/TLS. Microarray of Fus/Tls in 8 week mouse brain
Project description:FUS/TLS and TDP-43 are RNA/DNA-binding proteins integrally involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontal temporal dementia. FUS/TLS is shown to bind RNAs from >5,500 genes in mouse and human brain, primarily through a GUGGU binding motif. A characteristic sawtooth-like binding pattern is identified, supporting co-transcriptional deposition of FUS/TLS. Depletion of FUS/TLS from the adult nervous system is shown to alter levels or splicing of >970 mRNAs, most of which are distinct from the RNAs whose maturation is dependent on TDP-43. Nonetheless, only 55 RNAs are reduced upon depletion of either TDP-43 or FUS/TLS from mouse brain and human neurons differentiated from pluripotent stem cells, including mRNAs transcribed from genes with exceptionally long introns and that encode proteins essential for neuronal integrity. A subset of these is significantly lowered in FUS/TLSR521G and TDP-43G298S mutant fibroblasts and in TDP-43 aggregate-containing motor neurons in sporadic ALS, evidence pointing to a common loss-of-function pathway as one component underlying motor neuron death from misregulation of TDP-43 or FUS/TLS. CLIP of Fus/Tls in 8 week mouse brain and adult human brain
Project description:FUS/TLS and TDP-43 are RNA/DNA-binding proteins integrally involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontal temporal dementia. FUS/TLS is shown to bind RNAs from >5,500 genes in mouse and human brain, primarily through a GUGGU binding motif. A characteristic sawtooth-like binding pattern is identified, supporting co-transcriptional deposition of FUS/TLS. Depletion of FUS/TLS from the adult nervous system is shown to alter levels or splicing of >970 mRNAs, most of which are distinct from the RNAs whose maturation is dependent on TDP-43. Nonetheless, only 55 RNAs are reduced upon depletion of either TDP-43 or FUS/TLS from mouse brain and human neurons differentiated from pluripotent stem cells, including mRNAs transcribed from genes with exceptionally long introns and that encode proteins essential for neuronal integrity. A subset of these is significantly lowered in FUS/TLSR521G and TDP-43G298S mutant fibroblasts and in TDP-43 aggregate-containing motor neurons in sporadic ALS, evidence pointing to a common loss-of-function pathway as one component underlying motor neuron death from misregulation of TDP-43 or FUS/TLS. RNA-Seq of Fus/Tls in 8 week mouse brain
Project description:FUS/TLS and TDP-43 are RNA/DNA-binding proteins integrally involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontal temporal dementia. FUS/TLS is shown to bind RNAs from >5,500 genes in mouse and human brain, primarily through a GUGGU binding motif. A characteristic sawtooth-like binding pattern is identified, supporting co-transcriptional deposition of FUS/TLS. Depletion of FUS/TLS from the adult nervous system is shown to alter levels or splicing of >970 mRNAs, most of which are distinct from the RNAs whose maturation is dependent on TDP-43. Nonetheless, only 55 RNAs are reduced upon depletion of either TDP-43 or FUS/TLS from mouse brain and human neurons differentiated from pluripotent stem cells, including mRNAs transcribed from genes with exceptionally long introns and that encode proteins essential for neuronal integrity. A subset of these is significantly lowered in FUS/TLSR521G and TDP-43G298S mutant fibroblasts and in TDP-43 aggregate-containing motor neurons in sporadic ALS, evidence pointing to a common loss-of-function pathway as one component underlying motor neuron death from misregulation of TDP-43 or FUS/TLS.
Project description:FUS/TLS and TDP-43 are RNA/DNA-binding proteins integrally involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontal temporal dementia. FUS/TLS is shown to bind RNAs from >5,500 genes in mouse and human brain, primarily through a GUGGU binding motif. A characteristic sawtooth-like binding pattern is identified, supporting co-transcriptional deposition of FUS/TLS. Depletion of FUS/TLS from the adult nervous system is shown to alter levels or splicing of >970 mRNAs, most of which are distinct from the RNAs whose maturation is dependent on TDP-43. Nonetheless, only 55 RNAs are reduced upon depletion of either TDP-43 or FUS/TLS from mouse brain and human neurons differentiated from pluripotent stem cells, including mRNAs transcribed from genes with exceptionally long introns and that encode proteins essential for neuronal integrity. A subset of these is significantly lowered in FUS/TLSR521G and TDP-43G298S mutant fibroblasts and in TDP-43 aggregate-containing motor neurons in sporadic ALS, evidence pointing to a common loss-of-function pathway as one component underlying motor neuron death from misregulation of TDP-43 or FUS/TLS.
Project description:FUS/TLS and TDP-43 are RNA/DNA-binding proteins integrally involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontal temporal dementia. FUS/TLS is shown to bind RNAs from >5,500 genes in mouse and human brain, primarily through a GUGGU binding motif. A characteristic sawtooth-like binding pattern is identified, supporting co-transcriptional deposition of FUS/TLS. Depletion of FUS/TLS from the adult nervous system is shown to alter levels or splicing of >970 mRNAs, most of which are distinct from the RNAs whose maturation is dependent on TDP-43. Nonetheless, only 55 RNAs are reduced upon depletion of either TDP-43 or FUS/TLS from mouse brain and human neurons differentiated from pluripotent stem cells, including mRNAs transcribed from genes with exceptionally long introns and that encode proteins essential for neuronal integrity. A subset of these is significantly lowered in FUS/TLSR521G and TDP-43G298S mutant fibroblasts and in TDP-43 aggregate-containing motor neurons in sporadic ALS, evidence pointing to a common loss-of-function pathway as one component underlying motor neuron death from misregulation of TDP-43 or FUS/TLS.
Project description:Recent proteome and transcriptome profiling of Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains reveals RNA splicing dysfunction and U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) pathology containing U1-70K and its N-terminal 40-KDa fragment (N40K). Here we present a causative role of U1 snRNP dysfunction to neurodegeneration in primary neurons and transgenic mice (N40K-Tg), in which N40K expression exerts a dominant-negative effect to downregulate full-length U1-70K. N40K-Tg recapitulates N40K insolubility, neuronal degeneration, cognitive impairment, and erroneous splicing events in synaptic pathways.